OT summer time photos...add yours!

[reefrunner69]

Wonderful shot, I love sunrise and sunset photos!!

 

[An t-iasg]

Kevin, do the passion flower plants grow like annuals in Florida? We have them at our greenhouses here. They are around $60 and people usually buy them to keep in their "Florida" room.

I took a picture of the milkweed plant after the flower withers away. The seed pod is sticky and kind of yucky! I think this plant is only in the Northeast and some parts of the midwest. The monarch butterflies lay eggs on it and then the caterpillar eats the sap in the leaves before spinning its cocoon!

 

[QTOFFER]

I like the transmission tower shot, Kevin. Was it taken with B/W film, or did you desaturate a color image? How do YOU convert color digital to B/W? I know of a few ways to do it, but I've never found one that I like.

When I graduated from grad school, I lost my access to an antiquated, but well equipt darkroom. I miss developing, printing, and toning my own B/W prints.

Jchillin, thanks to you I now know what a sunrise looks like!

 

[talloulou]

That's a very cool pic jchillin. Very moody.

 

[reefrunner69]

Kevin, do the passion flower plants grow like annuals in Florida?

I'm to horticulturally stupid to know what that means...they start blooming in the spring and keep blooming until I don't have to mow the lawn any more.

Was it taken with B/W film, or did you desaturate a color image?

Thanks, that is a color image that was run through a "digital infrared" PS action I purchased from FredMiranda.com, not nearly as cool as actually using an inrared filter on the lens, but it's interesting.

For converting Digital Color images to B&W, There are several good methods, the most common and probably the best is using the channel mixer, If you google "channel mixer" + B&W...you'll find plenty of tutorials, from there it's just fine tuning your technique. In addition, many of todays digital cameras will shoot B&W, but I prefer to shoot color and convert, you get better results as the cam just desaturates a color image. I personally use a plug-in for converting B&W images, I use the B&W workflow pro (again by FredMiranda.com) which is a pay for play plug-in, but a decent one that does more than just B&W and is free is The Virtual Photographer.

 

[reefrunner69]

Having some fun with the oy and his bike the other day...

 

[reefrunner69]

Certainly people took pics of more than just fish this past summer....

 

[An t-iasg]

Is that your son, Kevin? You blurred the background very effectively!

Yes, an annual grows in the late spring (mid-late May for us) and dies after the first frost, or sometimes the second frost. My coleus will die at the first slight frost while the petunias may live through the first frost and then the second one gets them. So, these passion flowers grow in your yard! Neat!

A perennial here "dies" at ground level after the a few frosts, but the roots stay alive underground and it pops back up by itself in the spring, making for a pretty, low-maintenance garden! Since you guys usually don't get killing frosts there (I know that sometimes precautions must be taken for the citrus crop) I was wondering whether to call the passion flower an annual or perennial for you in Florida!

 

[talloulou]

Here are more of mine

 

[talloulou]

and more

 

[reefrunner69]

Cool shots, I really like the feeling you captured with that moon shot.

 

[Fluff]

Well, my pics aren't as great but here are some anyway. Seems all I've taken pics of this year are bugs. :| lol

 

[Fluff]

one more of my boy

 

[Toirtis]

Seems all I've taken pics of this year are bugs. :| lol

I suspect that the subject of photo number 2 may not appreciate that intro...

 

[talloulou]

Great shots of all your little buggers Fluff I think your pics are great.

 

[Fluff]

Seems all I've taken pics of this year are bugs. :| lol

I suspect that the subject of photo number 2 may not appreciate that intro...

Actually, she knows. I told her I was including her cause she's been buggin me all night.

Thanks talloulou. Your pics are great as well.

 

[Jchillin]

Wow...it's great to see pics of your "bugs" both the insect and human varieties Fluff.

 

[An t-iasg]

Spider pics should come with a warning, LOL!

Here's a nice sunset at Lake Pymatuning, a bit south of Lake Erie:

 

[Fluff]

Spider pics should come with a warning, LOL!

Here's a nice sunset at Lake Pymatuning, a bit south of Lake Erie:

That spider was so small, it could have sit on the head of a pin. I was playing with the macro. lol I think spiders are neat. I don't particularly like them in my house unless they are in tanks but, They are interesting to look at.

Great pic of the sunset!

 

[An t-iasg]

This was taken across the road from the sunset pic, at the catfish nursery area. Think it's just a bit overstocked? I took my algae wafers to feed the catfish (since I don't have a pleco anymore ) The wafers were a mere crumb to the catfish!